[Matth]

Discovered the potatoes in the cupboard under the stairs had been nibbled - a mouse!
Now if the good old "Little Nipper" trap had been handy, the perisher would have been swiftly sent to the happy hunting ground, as the nipper has a pretty good strike rate.

Improvised a milk bottle trap, thinking it couldn't scramble out, but it took the bait (chocolate, far more effective than cheese) and escaped, and again, with the bottle practically vertical.

Onto the Internet, and made one of these Mouse Trap Project - didn't have any non-stick spray though. On the second day the critter again managed to take the bait and escape.

So, to buy a trap, and the ones I found were not too bad a price until P&P more than doubled it, finally, tried the local pet shop, where they had a Rentokil Live Capture Mouse Trap (presumably also used for trapping escaped pet rodents).


Amazon.co.uk: Rentokil Mouse Trape-Live Capture: Kitchen & Home - the picture there shows it in the set position, it is a springless "topple trap" with the bait in the cap of the raised leg of the trap. When the mouse goes to the bait, the trap tips to that side and the door unprops and falls shut.

First day, only some accidental trips, second day, watching the TV and I hear a bump, not sure if it was the trap, but I open the door and look, and it's closed - another false trip?

So I pick the trap up, and it fells like there is more weight in it, but no way to see in.

Torn between taking a look to be sure, and risking a mouse projectile launching from the tube, but eventually just put the trap unopened into a bag and walked down the road to a field, now if it's a "house mouse", it may not do too well, but it can take its chance.

Popped the the end cap off, and saw a tail, put the trap on the ground, and the mouse stayed firmly inside, eventually I had to jog it, and a very skinny looking mouse fell out and then scurried off into the undergrowth. Just hope they don't have a homing instinct!


Must admit, I really didn't have much faith in that trap. Mum doesn't like killing them, but if that trap hadn't done it, next step was going to be a couple of traditional breakback traps.

Oh well, £4.60 to take out one? mouse - the trap is now reset in case he has friends.

... +1

Found a rather slack hole around pipes and stuffed some filler in.